cmcclain
Posts by this author
January 31, 2007
I am orginally from Arkansas so I am all too acquainted with the evil that is Wal-Mart. In Conway, AR, my favorite hardware store and a lot of the local downtown shops are gone now thanks to the new supercenter. Apparenlty, ADSA has fallen far(?) from the tree. ASDA is a supermarket chain found…
January 31, 2007
Researchers report that an approach used for years to understand the structure of Earth's oceanic crust is flawed and geoscientists will have reconsider the correspondence between seismic data and rock units when mapping formations of young oceanic crust.
More at Press Zoom...
January 28, 2007
[Note from Craig: The following is by a close friend and colleague, Jeff Nekola. I invited Jeff along for a day out at sea. I thought it would be interesting, and a new perspective, for Jeff to tell you about field work for deep-sea biologist.]
My field time is mostly spent looking at snails…
January 28, 2007
A reader recently asked me for recommendations for books about the deep appropriate for children. Here is my running list and we'll have Peter (who actually has child instead of being one) provide some recommendations in a later post.
One of my favorites is The Deep-Sea Floor by Collard. Great…
January 26, 2007
You can now "view" the entire conversation over at WHOI.
January 26, 2007
Yeah that's a mouthful of a name...so go with WAM-V. Got to say this is one of cooler designs I have seen, much better than the Flipper boat . Apparently WAM-V is modular and can host either a luxury cabin for two, simple cruising accommodations for up to six passengers, twelve passenger…
January 26, 2007
This pink gorgonian coral was photographed by ROV Tiburon at a depth of about 1,700 meters (5,600 feet) during an expedition to Davidson Seamount in 2002. Several small pink shrimp are climbing on the coral, perhaps eating small animals or bits of the coral itself. From MBARI.
January 25, 2007
One of my favorite artists and favorite subjects together. Johnny Cash + Squid = Tentacles Cash (via this website). Much better than a blending of two of my other favorites.
January 25, 2007
Every time some bizarre animal washes ashore or is swimming around a bay, or a lagoon, there is a media hype about how it's from the deep sea, it's a voracious predator, and it doesn't belong here.
A monster from the deep! Get the women and children and run for the hills. Grab your pick axes and…
January 25, 2007
Elpidia glacialis. Credit: Julian Gutt/Alfred Wegener Institute
Unless you live in a hole you know that the Larsen Ice Shelf collapsed a few years ago. A current expedition on the Polarstern to Antarctica is investigating marine ecosystems under the former Larsen ice shelf.This "white spot" with…
January 24, 2007
So the date and time are set for the Alvin to ISS chat. The pre-recorded conversation will air between 2:45 and 3:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Friday, January 26. It will be played immediately following the "ISS Expedition 14 Spacewalk Preview Briefing" scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, so the 2:45 to 3:30…
January 24, 2007
The recent post over at Dynamics of Cats, Pensive on Penzim, discusses the hype about a new cod-based cure for avian flu.
So, what is the big deal? Well, probably nothing, there are no clinical trials or safety studies yet, but since the stakes are high, it is worth contemplating.
I should point…
January 24, 2007
Workers from the Japanese Aquarium captured video of deep-sea shark lurking about the shallows of Awashima Port. The species, Chlamydoselachus anguineus or frilled shark, is not unknown from shallow water but rare. The frilled shark as a global distribution as is found from 0-1570m (5151ft).…
January 24, 2007
"Industrialized fishing is the driving force in the depletion of biodiversity in our oceans...Oceans have been exempt from rules that are so natural to us on land." Because of the relative invisibility of life below the surface, most people never get to see it first hand, such as managers "who sit…
January 22, 2007
Since this won a Fuzzy Yeti Crab (The Fuzzy) for 2006, I thought a repost was in order.
There is a great article at the San Francisco Chronicle on cosmeuceuticals and the extent people are distributing snake oil including this beauty...At the highest end of the skin-care spectrum, Saks Fifth Avenue…
January 22, 2007
In the last 10 years, the average temperature of the earth as increased by 0.75 degrees Celsius. In less you have not read a newspaper or watched the news in the last 15 years, you would know that a majority of scientists have linked this to increasing C02 emissions from the burning of fossil…
January 20, 2007
Urged by a reader for a more "dampened" shot, I have changed my profile picture to a recent photography taken by a colloborator and friend. There were also some comments about our disgruntled mug shots. You guys are relentless! This picture may qualify me for the sexiest Sb blogger! I just have…
January 19, 2007
From the dark abyss to the darkness of Space. On Jan. 26th* Deep-Sea Scientist Tim Shank in the Alvin and Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams at the International Space Station will have a conversation about exploration and science. If that is not cool enough you can listen, or watch on the NASA…
January 19, 2007
A new series for you Friday Deep-Sea Picture. Feel free to email us great pictures you find about the web or from you personal collection.
Starfish graze on an extensive bed of mussels on the outer flanks of the cone. Image courtesy of New Zealand-American Submarine Ring of Fire 2005 Exploration…
January 18, 2007
In Search of Giant Squid at the Deleware Museum of Natural History. If you are in the neighborhood check it out and pop me an email with some pictures and tales of you encounter.
January 18, 2007
Ocean fm (Ireland) reports that...
Fishermen's lives are being put at risk because of the strict rules that apply to when they can fish in Irish waters. That's according to the Chairman of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation, Martin Howley. He said that better quota management by the Marine…
January 17, 2007
And if no one is around will it still make a sound? Crone and cronies et al. on the open access PLoS One explore the Sound Generated by Mid-Ocean Ridge Black Smoker Hydrothermal Vents. Although theory predicted sound from venting smokers, current thinking was that they were actual silent. But…
January 17, 2007
As followup to this post, I will discuss what biogeography is. Largely, biogeography can be seen as subdisipline of the fields of ecology and evolution. Biogeography has traditionally been the study of the distribution of species across the globe, why a species occurs or does not occur in a given…
January 15, 2007
The last forum at the International Biogeography Society meeting discussed how biogeographer's might increase public outreach. Unfortunately little attention was given to what I feel is one of the most effective mechanisms, blogging. The forum really discussed more traditional processes such as…
January 14, 2007
Peter's post on the Alvin pilots generated an email from Janet Voight, deep-sea cephalopod expert extraordinaire, pointing me to this great video. Enjoy.
January 14, 2007
Finally got back from my meeting minus a piece of luggage or two. Unfortunately the trip came with a shocking reality of anthropogenic effects on marine systems. Before I headed to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, I asked around and searched online to find some localities to snorkel while I was…
January 7, 2007
ATMOCEAN, a firm based in Santa Fe, NM with Philip W. Kithil at the helm, is according to their website the company is "at the forefront of the emerging Hurricane and Global Warming Mitigation Industry." What is that you ask?
In their own words...
Our patents-pending Atmocean technology is based…
January 6, 2007
If you missed the book Meg, which is probably for the best, I just heard through the grapevine that a movie is in developmental hell. Luckily the book was given to me, so as I trudged through the 400 some odd pages of it, I didn't have one more thing to upset me. The only thing that is deep in…
January 4, 2007
Will be gone to the Canary Islands for a conference until the 15th to give my spiel. You will be in the very capable and 'hand'some hands of Peter. Enjoy and use the thread to post comments on anything you want (as long it is deep sea related!).
January 3, 2007
The recent welcome of Attleboro H.S. has me reflecting on time spent in Boston as a graduate student. Boston is a wonderful town with great latke, Guinness, and tobaccionist. In the words of Fred Allen"I have just returned from Boston. It is the only sane thing to do if you find yourself up there…